South Korean company Daewoo delivers the “submerged tunnel” project in Basra to Iraq
South Korean company Daewoo delivers the “submerged tunnel” project in Basra to Iraq
2026-11-12
Shafaq News – Basra
The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Thursday the opening of the “submerged tunnel” project in Khor Al-Zubair in Basra Governorate, one of the most prominent projects of the Grand Faw Port, as the Iraqi ports received the project from the Korean company “Daewoo” after its completion.
The ministry said in a statement, received by Shafaq News Agency, that Transport Minister Wahab Al-Hassani inaugurated the submerged tunnel in Khor Al-Zubair, noting that it represents one of the most prominent engineering achievements in the Grand Faw Port project, and connects the Faw area to Umm Qasr, which contributes to shortening distances, time and costs in transportation and trade.
She added that the project represents a pivotal step in developing the infrastructure of the transport sector, enhancing integration between ports and road networks, and supporting the development road project, thereby strengthening Iraq’s position as a vital corridor for international trade.
A correspondent for Shafaq News Agency, who attended the opening ceremony, said that the Korean company Daewoo Engineering and Construction handed over the submerged tunnel to the Iraqi ports after completing its construction, indicating that the Director General of the General Company for Iraqi Ports, Abdullah Al-Ati, received the project document from the Korean side.
The work on the submerged tunnel had gone through multiple stages of completion, as the General Company for Iraqi Ports announced on March 10, 2025, the completion of the process of submerging the first concrete piece out of ten pieces that make up the tunnel under the Khor Al-Zubair navigation channel.
On August 18, 2025, the company announced the installation of the fifth piece, known as “Azal,” at the bottom of the canal. On May 9, 2026, the company reported that the tunnel’s completion rate had exceeded 95%, and that it had reached its final stages and was ready for vehicles to pass through after the completion of the final works.
On October 24, 2026, the Director General of the General Company for Iraqi Ports, Abdullah Ati Abdullah, announced that the completion rate of the submerged tunnel had reached 98%, coinciding with the completion of the breakwater works at 100%, and the completion of the infrastructure works at 94%.
The submerged tunnel is one of the major projects in the Grand Faw Port. It crosses the Khor Al-Zubair canal to connect the Faw area with Umm Qasr, and forms a link between the port and the road network, within the infrastructure projects related to the development route.
shafaq.com
